1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to facial masks and is particularly directed to facial masks for applying thermal treatment to part or all of a patient's face.
2. Prior Art
It is common practice in caring for facial injuries and the like to apply thermal treatment, such as heat or cold, to reduce swelling, relieve pain and for other beneficial purposes. Unfortunately, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to provide means for applying the thermal treatment evenly over the entire surface of the patient's face. Hot water bottles and ice bags have been widely used. However, it is well known that these devices do not conform well to facial contours and are extremely difficult to maintain in a desired position. Furthermore, many of the prior art facial treatment masks require coverage of areas of the face which may not require treatment. This causes substantial unnecessary discomfort to the patient. Numerous devices have been proposed heretofore for solving these problems. Thus, a search in the United States Patent Office has revealed the following:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 4,190,054 H. G. Brennan Feb. 26, 1980 4,614,189 V. B. MacKenzie Sep. 30, 1986 3,291,761 M. M. Baker Jan. 27, 1970 3,868,984 B. I. Jorgensen Mar. 4, 1975 ______________________________________
Each of these references discloses a face treatment mask. However, none of them prior art devices provides secure coverage of the required areas of the patient's face, while being adjustable to avoid coverage of areas of the patient's face which do not require treatment.